Day: November 27, 2018

It wouldn’t be a true road trip if we didn’t drive through the utter chaos, and traffic of New York City. Thankfully, we timed it right so that we weren’t driving during any rush hour traffic, so we avoided the pure hell of the bee hives peak points. It only took us an hour to find somewhere to park; so we were feeling pretty hopeful as we began exploring the Empire State.

We started our adventure in Time Square, to truly get a feel for the amount of people and that busyness this city truly encompasses. After sitting in Time Square and people watching all the little business men, wild tourists, The Naked Cowboy, street performers, and every stereotype imaginable, we decided to visit the M&M Store. For any chocolate lover, it does not disappoint. With three floors of wild colors and walls covered in M&Ms, there is something for everyone. You can even get your face printed on an M&M! From there, we headed down to the Theater District and checked out what shows were being preformed on Broadway. Not finding any show that particular struck our interest, we headed underground to catch the Metro, the New York Subway System.

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After swiping our passes, we took a series of trains to make it over to Liberty Park. You can only visit Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty by traveling by ferry (our favorite thing). We snatched up tickets to the last ferry headed to the island, and got to enjoy some time on the Liberty Ferry (thankfully no one got sick this time). Lady Liberty, a symbol of hope to so many Americans, is impressively large in real life. Up close and personal, we wandered around the island dedicated to The Statue of Liberty. Shifting through the crowds of people trying to hold Lady Liberty, we found ourselves in full tourist mode. A fun fact that we didn’t realize is Liberty Island is actually considered a National Park. So, if you have a little National Park Passport, (like we do) you can get your book stamped there which is a fun little bonus. With our book freshly stamped, we ran to catch the last ferry back to NYC. Fun fact: Liberty Island is technically claimed by both New York and New Jersey because she sits in their shared harbor, so you can take a ferry to Jersey or New York.

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Another smooth journey across the Hudson, we were back on sweet land. Our next destination to visit was the Twin Tower Memorial. We were within walking distance, so we took a somewhat solemn walk towards the memorial. It was hard not to imagine that same location back on September 11^th 2001. The Memorial is a quiet, little park complete with a Tree of Hope. They have taken the circumferences of both of the towers and created a very touching fountain, with water rushing deep below ground level. Around both perimeters, they have written everyone’s’ name that we lost on that terrible day.  It’s not a fun place to visit, so to say, but it is a very important place to witness. There is a certain vibe of community at the 9/11 Memorial, and it is a place where people can pay their respects and join with other Americans. We truly are the land of the brave. Even in heart ache, America stands united in love, for the freedom we have in our beautiful nation under God. There is beauty in pain, and this park has perfectly demonstrated that mourning. 

After paying our respects, we wandered over to China Town in search of some cheap oriental food. After living in Japan for years, we have both developed a very nostalgic taste for Asian Cuisine. With the sun starting to set, China town is pretty fun to wander around. There are some interesting smells, but the streets are lit up with Chinese Banners and strung lights as far as the eye can see. There are many stores packed with fun little games, and Chinese Treats. We got a little sesame chicken, wandered through the streets, and eventually, made it back to the Metro.

Unfortunately, there was some sort of “incident” on one of the subways earlier, so all of the trains were backed up. The delay caused there to be an ungodly amount of people crammed into the little prison cell underground. Once a subway finally came, everyone flooded onto the train like their life depended on it. Daniel’s backpack got stuck in the door (we almost had to sacrifice him), as we barely managed to squeeze onto this death trap. Just imagine sardines packed into their little can, well that was an understatement of what we were experiencing. Imagine 20 sardines normally get packed into each can. Now take 50 sardines and tell a toddler to cram them into that same can. Thus you have me and Daniel, and the 4,000 other people squished in one dirty subway. Barely making it out with our sanity and half the oxygen our bodies actually needed, we somehow made it to our stop. Shuffling up the steep stairs to freedom, we hear a large crash, everyone gasps, and a smell of beef fills the air.

Traffic Jam! Moans bubble up from all directions. An elderly man had been coming down the stairs on the opposite side, carrying what I can only assume was a very treasured cup of beef noodles. Consequently, the odds were not in his favor, and he tripped down a flight of stairs. On his decent, he knocked down the people in front of him like bowling pins, and sent his cup of noodles (so tragically) soaring into the crowd of helpless citizens. It was a interesting mix of pity for this man, and anger for the beefy mess that now covered many New Yorker’s outfits. Meanwhile the man continued to lay there for an uncomfortable amount of time, making the strangest noises I’ve ever heard, and half his butt waving at an already frustrated crowd. Thankfully everyone was okay, but I am not sure if the man was more torn up about the pain his body was in (he pretty much did the splits on his way down), or the death of his Cup of Noodles. Gone too soon. RIP Noodles.

After all that excitement, we decided to swing by the Empire State building to see her in her full glory. At night it’s really an impressive building. Shining like a beacon of hope, it made since why New York is considered the Empire State. From there we headed to one of my favorite parts of NYC, The Highline. This is a park was an old rail road track, that art students have transformed into a walk way for people to walk, without fear of traffic or the usual crowds. The Highline is set about two floors above the city floor, so you get a nice view of the city without having to be fully immersed. The park is lit up and open till 10pm, so there was no problem with our evening stroll. There are many different displays and little outlooks spots found all along the trail. It is the perfect blend of industrial nature. 

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After hiking down this little city-nature path, we had worked up a hunger for a little smackeral. In the true New York fashion, we felt obligated to grab a greasy, flimsy slice of NYC Pizza. Thankful for the city that never sleeps, because we had PLENTY of stores still open to choose from. We moseyed our way through the little shops, until we passed a tiny little hole in the wall with men yelling at each other in strong Italian accents. That was it! We had found our golden ticket, and we ordered two (cheap) slices of goodness! Happy for something warm, we finished our hike to the car. Blasting, “No Sleep Till Brooklyn,” we kissed New York City goodbye. Leaving the chaos, the excitement, and the claustrophobia far behind us; we began our journey to Connecticut.

God Bless, 

McKayla

Happy Halloween from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After a lot of careful consideration, we found the perfect Halloween costumes!

We choose to be Bengals, in honor of our recent time with the VMFA(AW)-224 the Fighting Bengals. Unfortunately, there was a lot less people dressed up in Philly than we anticipated so that was an adventure. We did see a lot of dogs dressed up, and there was a hot dog and unicorn in our tour of Independence Hall. I wonder what our founding fathers would have thought if someone showed up dressed up like that back in their day.

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Upon arriving we headed to the most important part of Philadelphia, Tun Tavern. As many of you hopefully know, The Marine Corps was born in a bar in 1775 in Tun Tavern, PA. Unfortunately, much to our disappointment, there is no longer a bar there to date. Honestly, I am really disappointed that some retired Sergeant Major hasn’t set up some sort of bar there. But needless to say, it’s going onto our “Our Millionaire Bucketlist.” Anyways, there is a sign signifying the existence of this bar, but it’s very underwhelming. Sorry to disappoint, but Semper Fidelis!

After viewing practically the only reason we came to Pennsylvania we decided to head to the historic district. There we viewed the Liberty Bell, got our tickets to tour Liberty Hall, and viewed the history exhibits they have set up there. Liberty Bell is tucked away inside where she is being preserved from further cracking. 

When our time came to tour Independence Hall we were greeted by our friendly historian tour guide. He lead us through the rooms of old building and knew an incredible amount of history. Going into great detail and pointing out every small detail, we felt very educated of the under workings of Independence Hall. The tour itself is free, you just have to visit the Park Rangers in the Welcome Center across the street for a touring time. It is a very informative 30 minute tour, and I would encourage any history lovers to attend. 

Learning so much history, really worked up an appetite for the two of us. So we decided to venture out in search of some lunch. What better dish to indulge in than A Philly Cheesesteak. There is a long time rivalry between two cheesesteak joints named the “Great Cheesesteak WAR.” Pats vs. Geno’s have been competing restaurants since 1966. Both of places are set up right across the street from each other, and tempt anyone passing by with strong smells of fresh steaks. The rivalry runs deep, and these competitors even buy their bread from competing bakeries.  Even though they are competitors, both have a similar menu and a certain lingo that the locals have adopted. For example, if you want cheese and onions you are supposed to use the term “whiz wit.” It is even said that Bush got elected by Pennsylvania because he ordered his sandwich “whiz wit,” instead of John Cerry who ordered it like a tourist. In order to get the full experience, we decided to get one sandwich from each joint, and compare. Our verdict is the both were not bad. We were torn half and half with Daniel crowning Pats king, and myself liking Geno’s better. The bread and steak was better at Genos, but Daniel argues you get a lot more cheese and better peppers at Pats. Either way, I guess the war will live on.

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With our stomachs full, we continued to explore the city. There are a lot of beautiful building and a ton of brick all throughout the city. You can easily rent bikes or scooters and get through the town pretty quickly. We enjoyed walking the streets and getting a feel for Philly.

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One of the Parks that really drew pour attention was Race Street Pier. It is a neat little hang out spot with trees and benches lining the whole walk out to the water. Once you reach the “lookout point” you find yourself out over the water, with a huge bridge to your left, and the river on your right. There are plenty of places to sit and gaze at the passing boats. You get a really nice view of the city and the skyline of building across the water. It is a really nice place to listen to some music or catch up on your reading. 

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After we finished at the park, we headed to a artsy coffee shop to knock out some school work. We found a very cute little coffee shop called, Menagerie Coffee. They had no problem letting us chill there for a couple of hours and get some work done.

Thankfully, we have a buddy that we used to work with in the Marines, that is currently living in Philadelphia. Steve opened up his trendy apartment and we spent the evening catching up with a good friend. The view from Steve’s apartment is really incredible and he has an awesome little balcony so you can truly enjoy it. His brother came over and the four of us walked down the street and got some delicious pizza. We spent the evening chilling at home eating pizza and watching the office. It turned out to be a very much needed relaxing evening. 

In the morning, we packed up and started towards NYC. That pretty much wraps it up for our little Philly Expedition. God Bless!

Cheers, 

McKayla